The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) finds dramatic increases in worst case housing needs during the 2009-2011 period that cut across demographic groups, household types, and regions. This rise in hardship among renters is due to substantial increases in rental housing demand and weakening incomes that increase competition for already-scarce affordable units.Given the severely challenged economic conditions that the United States confronted during this period, particularly surrounding the housing market, it is not surprising that the need for housing assistance continues to outpace the ability of federal, state, and local governments to supply it. The forthcoming Worst Case Housing Needs 2011: Report to Congress will examine the causes of and trends in worst case needs for affordable rental housing.

This report covers the timeframe from 2013-2015 based on the American Housing Survey (AHS) data that is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. This report provides national data and analysis of the critical problems facing low-income renting families. Households in this report are defined as very low-income renters who do not receive government housing assistance and who paid more than one-half their income for rent, lived in severely inadequate conditions or both. Contributing most to the increase in worst case needs between years 2013 and 2015 was a notable shift from home ownership to renting. Modest gains in household incomes were met with rising rents, shrinking supply of affordable housing stock in an increasingly competitive market. This data identifies a worst-case needs household as a family with two children, most often a minority family headed either by a single female or married couple. Municipal and state government personnel within the Housing Authority that offer affordable housing properties to its citizens may be most interested in this data. Additionally, rental property managers and builders, American citizens, policymakers, economic developers and advisors, and community planners may also find this research helpful to their strategic program needs. High school students and above may be interested in the statistical data that includes text, tables, charts representing this population and their needs for the basic necessity of housing to provide primary source materials for research reports and term papers. Related products: 2018 Healthy Homes Calendar available here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/2018-health-homes-planner Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States, 2012 is available here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/income-poverty-and-health-insurance-coverage-united-states-2012

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is pleased totransmit to the U.S. Congress this 2017 report on Worst Case Housing Needs.This report-the 16th in a longstanding series-provides national data andanalysis of the critical problems facing low-income renting families. The reportdraws on data from the American Housing Survey (AHS), which is funded by HUDand conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The AHS has been conducted every2 years since 1973 and debuted a major redesign in 2015 that included a newnational and metropolitan area longitudinal sample. The AHS is a key source ofnational data on housing markets, conditions, and dynamics.Despite continued signs of a strengthening national economy, the report findsthat severe housing problems are on the rise. In 2015, 8.30 million householdshad worst case needs, up from 7.72 million in 2013 and approaching the recordhigh of 8.48 million in 2011. These households are defined as very low-incomerenters who do not receive government housing assistance and who paid morethan one-half of their income for rent, lived in severely inadequate conditions,or both. High rents in proportion to renter incomes remain dominant amonghouseholds with worst case needs, leaving these renters with substantial, unmetneed for affordable housing.The modest reduction in worst case needs observed in 2013 was not sustainedand worst case needs continued their upward trend. Specifically, severe housingproblems have grown 41 percent since the beginning of the Great Recessionin 2007 and 66 percent since 2001. Worst case needs continue to affect allsubgroups, whether defined by race and ethnicity, household structure, or locationwithin metropolitan areas or regions.Contributing most to the increase in worst case needs between 2013 and 2015was a notable shift from homeownership to renting. The magnitude of thissustained postrecession trend, along with other demographic factors, increasedthe number of very low-income renters and thereby played a major role in growingworst case needs between 2013 and 2015. Modest gains in household incomeswere met with rising rents, shrinking the supply of affordable rental housing stockin an increasingly competitive market. Even with the supply of more expensive unitsgrowing, higher-income renters occupy a growing share-43 percent-of the mostaffordable units. Only 62 affordable units are available per 100 very low-incomerenters, and only 38 units are available per 100 extremely low-income renters.This report also uses new AHS enhancements to explore the variation in worstcase needs and the distribution of housing assistance across a greater variety ofmarket geographies. These data show that, although 43.2 percent of very lowincomerenters had worst case needs nationally, local markets reflect a substantialdegree of variation beyond the longstanding trends observed across regions andtypes of metropolitan locations

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development finds that worst case housing needs decreased during the 2011-to-2013 period but persist at high levels across demographic groups, household types, and regions. Substantial unmet needs for affordable rental housing remain even as economic conditions are improving. The unmet need for decent, safe, and affordable rental housing continues to outpace the ability of federal, state, and local governments to supply housing assistance.

The report is the twelfth in the series of worst case housing needs reports that have been issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) since 1991. Worst case housing needs (WCN) are experienced by unassisted very low-income renters who either (1) pay more than one-half of their monthly income for rent; or (2) live in severely inadequate conditions, or both. HUD defines "very low-income" as below 50 percent of the local area median income (AMI) and "extremely low-income" as below 30 percent of AMI.

This study presents national estimates of the number of households that include people with disabilities who have worst case housing needs and presents their characteristics. It provides a supplement to the Worst Case Housing Needs 2009: Report to Congress, released in February 2011. People with disabilities face additional burdens to finding safe and affordable housing for several reasons, such as being subjected to housing discrimination and encountering limited availability of accessible housing units. This supplement responds to the need to improve the estimation of the number of people with disabilities with severe housing needs and address the known undercount of past estimations. This supplement also analyzes the extent to which new direct questions on disabilities, added to the 2009 American Housing Survey (AHS), improve the estimation of people with disabilities and it discusses remaining limitations toward identifying people with disabilities with severe housing needs using this survey.

A timely examination of the effects of the Great Recession on Americans and the resulting federal reforms to healthcare, employment, and housing policies as a means to alleviate poverty. The Great Recession (2007 to 2009) brought the United States—routinely touted as the richest country in the world—to historical levels of poverty. Rising unemployment, government budget crises, and the collapse of the housing market had devastating effects on the poor and middle class. This is one of the first books to focus on the impact of the Great Recession on poverty in America, examining governmental and cultural responses to the economic downturn; the demographics of poverty by gender, age, occupation, education, geographical area, and ethnic identity; and federal and state efforts toward reform and relief. Essays from more than 20 contributing writers explore the history of poverty in America and provide a vision of what lies ahead for the American economy.